Irina ABRAMOVA

Irina Abramova, Director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Member of the Presidium of the RAS, Corresponding Member of the RAS, Professor in the Department for African and Arab Studies of RUDN University, is a leading Russian Africanist and Arabist with more than 35 years of academic experience.

In 1984, she graduated (cum laude) from the Institute of Asian and African Studies of Lomonosov Moscow State University, specializing in social and economic development of Arab countries. In 1987, after completing a post-graduate course at the Institute for African Studies, she successfully defended her PhD thesis on "Social and Economic Problems of Urbanisation in Egypt". In 2011, she successfully presented her thesis on "Africa’s Resource Potential in the World Economy of the 21st Century" at the Institute for Oriental Studies of the RAS and obtained a D.Sc. degree in International Economics.

I.Abramova is the author of over 250 academic works, including 10 monographs, among them – The New Role of Africa in the Global Economy in the 21st Century, African Population in the New Global Economy, Resource Potential of Africa and Russia’s National Interests in the 21st Century, African Migration: an Exercise in the Systems Analysis. In these and other works she explored fundamentally new conceptual issues related to the role of developing countries and Africa in shaping the new global economic model and to the problems of developing Russian-African cooperation. What makes works by I.Abramova especially valuable is that they include assessments and forecasts that have been confirmed after their publication. The systems analysis of international migration that I.Abramova carried out based on the results of her field research in Africa in 2005–2018 was not just a contribution to science, but also made it possible to formulate conclusions and recommendations of practical importance. Analytical materials prepared by I.Abramova are highly valued by legislative and executive bodies.

I.Abramova is a member of the Scientific Council under the Security Council of the Russian Federation, member of the Expert Council on International Affairs at the Council of Federation of the Russian Federation, invited speaker at the Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crimes, member of the “Politics” group of the Petersburg Dialogue Russian-German public forum, expert of the Council of Europe on anti-money laundering and human trafficking, guest lecturer at European and African universities. I.Abramova has received wide international recognition for her work, which is reflected in her participation in more than 100 international conferences, as well as the publication of her works in the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Arab and African countries.

I.Abramova is a member of the editorial boards of several leading scientific journals on the problems of international relations, African and Arab studies, including such periodicals as Asia and Africa Today, Outlines of Global Transformations, Conflictology, Journal of the Institute for African Studies of the RAS.

I.Abramova actively cooperates with higher education institutions of Moscow and St. Petersburg, successfully combining academic and pedagogical activity and sharing her knowledge and experience with students of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russian State University for the Humanities, RUDN University and St. Petersburg University. Since 2003, I.Abramova has been a scientific supervisor of post-graduate students at the Institute for African Studies of the RAS. Under her guidance, 6 master's and 8 PhD theses were successfully defended.